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Basic Principles of Good Software Engineering approach

Last Updated : 07 Feb, 2023
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Software Engineering is the systems engineering approach for software product/application development. It is an engineering branch associated with analyzing user requirements, design, development, testing, and maintenance of software products. 

Some basic principles of good software engineering are –

  1. One of the basic software Engineering principles is Better Requirement analysis which gives a clear vision of the project. At last, a good understanding of user requirements provides value to its users by delivering a good software product that meets users’ requirements.
     
  2. All designs and implementations should be as simple as possible mean the KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) principle should be followed. It makes code so simple as a result debugging and further maintenance become simple.
     
  3. Maintaining the vision of the project is the most important thing throughout complete development process for the success of a software project. A clear vision of the project leads to the development of the project in the right way.
     
  4. Software projects include a number of functionalities, all functionalities should be developed in a modular approach so that development will be faster and easier. This modularity makes functions or system components independent.
     
  5. Another specialization of the principle of separation of concerns is Abstraction for suppressing complex things and delivering simplicity to the customer/user means it gives what the actual user needs and hides unnecessary things.
     
  6. Think then Act is a must-required principle for software engineering means before starting developing functionality first it requires to think about application architecture, as good planning on the flow of project development produces better results.
     
  7. Sometimes developer adds up all functionalities together but later find no use of that. So following the Never add extra principle is important as it implements what actually needed and later implements what are required which saves effort and time.
     
  8. When other developers work with another’s code they should not be surprised and should not waste their time in getting code. So providing better Documentation at required steps is a good way of developing software projects.
     
  9. Law of Demeter should be followed as it makes classes independent on their functionalities and reduces connections and inter dependability between classes which is called coupling.
     
  10. The developers should develop the project in such a way that it should satisfy the principle of Generality means it should not be limited or restricted to some of cases/functions rather it should be free from unnatural restrictions and should be able to provide service to customers what actually they need or general needs in an extensive manner.
     
  11. Principle of Consistency is important in coding style and designing GUI (Graphical User Interface) as consistent coding style gives an easier reading of code and consistency in GUI makes user learning easier in dealing with interface and in using the software.
     
  12. Never waste time if anything is required and that already exists at that time take the help of Open source and fix it in your own way as per requirement.
     
  13. Performing continuous validation helps in checking software system meets requirement specifications and fulfills its intended purpose which helps in better software quality control.
     
  14. To exit in current technology market trends Using modern programming practices is important to meet users’ requirements in the latest and advanced way.
     
  15. Scalability in Software Engineering should be maintained to grow and manage increased demand for software applications.

There are several basic principles of good software engineering approach that are commonly followed by software developers and engineers to produce high-quality software. Some of these principles include:

  1. Modularity: Breaking down the software into smaller, independent, and reusable components or modules. This makes the software easier to understand, test, and maintain.
  2. Abstraction: Hiding the implementation details of a module or component and exposing only the necessary information. This makes the software more flexible and easier to change.
  3. Encapsulation: Wrapping the data and functions of a module or component into a single unit, and providing controlled access to that unit. This helps to protect the data and functions from unauthorized access and modification.
  4. DRY principle (Don’t Repeat Yourself): Avoiding duplication of code and data in the software. This makes the software more maintainable and less error-prone.
  5. KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid): Keeping the software design and implementation as simple as possible. This makes the software more understandable, testable, and maintainable.
  6. YAGNI (You Ain’t Gonna Need It): Avoiding adding unnecessary features or functionality to the software. This helps to keep the software focused on the essential requirements and makes it more maintainable.
  7. SOLID principles: A set of principles that guide the design of software to make it more maintainable, reusable, and extensible. This includes the Single Responsibility Principle, Open/Closed Principle, Liskov Substitution Principle, Interface Segregation Principle, and Dependency Inversion Principle.
  8. Test-driven development: Writing automated tests before writing the code, and ensuring that the code passes all tests before it is considered complete. This helps to ensure that the software meets the requirements and specifications.
  9. By following these principles, software engineers can develop software that is more reliable, maintainable, and extensible.
  10. It’s also important to note that these principles are not mutually exclusive, and often work together to improve the overall quality of the software.

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